Although Pineville's hiring of former player and assistant Chad Sears as its boys basketball coach was the one that drew the most attention, there were many more significant coaching moves in Central Louisiana that have been made in the weeks after the school year concluded.

A quartet of schools joined Pineville on the coaching carousel as six vacancies have been filled so far this summer.

University Academy has a new boys basketball coach in LSU of Alexandria men's basketball assistant Taylor Smith.

In 2015, Menard hired former LSUA assistant Brian Terwilliger as its boys basketball coach and UA believes that Smith can have similar success with the Lions.

"We're excited to have someone with his knowledge of the game," UA athletics administrator Marc Kelly said. "The excitement and the discipline that he brings to the program have already shown themselves in just a few games they've played in the Pineville Summer League. We're looking for great things out of him in the future."

Although the Lions have a new basketball coach, they will also need a new baseball coach after Trey Barnes decided to take the Marksville gig.

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Trey Barnes(Photo: LaMar Gafford/The Town Talk)

Barnes led the Lions to a 17-10 mark while overseeing seniors Malik Silas and Darius Hampton becoming the program's first two college signees when they inked with Wiley College in May.

Although Barnes is grateful for his time at UA, he also is ready for his next chapter with the Tigers.

"I always looked at them as the baby LSU with the purple and gold and the crazy fans," Barnes said.

However, the Lions have a new coach in place as former Alexandria Ace Brad Turney will be introduced as their coach on Thursday.

Buckeye has a new girls basketball coach in Garrett Hoffpauir, who was at Alexandria Middle Magnet last season.

"When the job came open, it was easy for me to do," Hoffpauir said. "There's always been some great girls out here, and we want to try to get Buckeye back to where it was in the '80s and '90s."

Leesville will have a pair of new coaches on the hardwood next year as Troy Grigg will be the Wampus Cats new coach, and Kristi Perkins will coach the Lady Cats.

Grigg previously held the Northwood job, but was an assistant over the last two seasons — spending a year each at Alexandria Senior High and Leesville.

"I'm excited about it," Grigg said. "I have a good group of kids that's in here for the summer working hard and trying to start off the summer right and have a productive season."

An All-American at Louisiana College in 1999, Perkins comes from Jena, where she led the Lady Giants to the playoffs in each of her five seasons at the helm and earned a playoff win in 2016, when it upset St. Louis, 38-27, in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.

Prior to her arrival in the 2012-13 season, Jena had a six-year playoff drought.